San Francisco Conservatory of Music to Host Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, 11/5-10

San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announced initial details on another exciting program that has become part of the Conservatory: the first biennial writing institute in the United States solely devoted to classical music criticism, offering invaluable insight, feedback and observations by distinguished journalists to university-level writers in both a public and private setting.

"The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is deeply honored to host The Stephen and Cynthia Rubin Institute for Music Criticism during the week of November 5 - 10, 2014," said President David H. Stull. "I am grateful to Steve Rubin for his ongoing support of this extraordinary endeavor, which provides an unmatched opportunity for young artists and writers to gather here in San Francisco and explore the world of music criticism with some of its greatest practitioners in the world today." The intense, week-long program offers young writers unique opportunities to experience first-hand what it is like to write about professional, public performances and work within the contemporary journalistic industry setting.

"We are pleased to announce that San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Cal Performances and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra will present performances as our remarkable partners in The Rubin Institute this fall," Stull continued. "I am equally proud that our distinguished colleagues in higher education at the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Yale School of Music will take part in this incomparable program." Performances offered November 6 through 9 will serve as subjects for critical writing and discussion by the Rubin Institute Fellows - student writers from these four educational institutions and SFCM. Each Fellow is eligible to receive the $10,000 Rubin Prize in Music Criticism to be awarded at the conclusion of the institute.

In addition to public performances by the above named participating professional organizations, lectures on various topics relating to music criticism will be given prior to most performances by a member of The Rubin Institute's Writers Panel, a group of highly esteemed national music critics and journalists. The pre-concert talks present a rare opportunity for audiences, musicians, and writers alike to hear first-hand from some of the country's most important writers and commentators.

Also offered will be public panel discussions featuring members of the Writers Panel. The panels will discuss music criticism, pre-concert articles and reviews of the Institute concerts written by the Rubin Institute Fellows. Further details regarding the Rubin Fellows and other Institute events will be announced later this summer.

Birgit Hottenrott, Executive Director of The Rubin Institute, stated, "The Rubin Institute provides a unique platform to further the art of writing and thinking about music performance. We are thrilled to welcome such distinguished writers from around the country to participate, and to create the opportunity for excellent student writers from SFCM and from our partner schools to work with them in this singularly focused forum. We look forward to the increased dialogue on this very important topic."